The invention is intended for use in automatic semiconductor fabrication, using continuous tape handling through the encapsulation process. In the past, it has been suggested that the tape process be employed to fabricate semiconductor devices. My publication titled "TRENDS IN TAPE BONDING".pi.in the April, 1979, issue of "Semiconductor International," details the automatic bonding of semiconductor devices to either all metal tape or composite tape. My U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,842, which issued Jan. 4, 1977, details a fabrication process for making tape and bonding semiconductor devices thereto.
In my copending application, Ser. No. 921,642, filed July 3, 1978 and titled "CONTROLLED COLLAPSE THERMOCOMPRESSION GANG BONDING," an improvement in bonding is set forth. The improvement relates to semiconductor device attachment to a continuous tape and to attachment of the tape bonded device to a secondary structure.
Typically, once a device is bonded to a tape, it is usually intended for application to a hybrid substrate. Alternatively a plastic housing can be transfer molded around the semiconductor device and the adjacent tape finger portions.
While the attachment of semiconductor devices to a tape structure is relatively fast, the subsequent encapsulation, particularly transfer molding, is relatively slow. In fact, transfer molding is not applicable to a continuous tape process. Generally, the tape must be cut up into segments that are batch transfer molded in a parallel process.